Saturday, October 30, 2010

International Conference on "Changing Structure of International Trade and Investment: Implications for Growth and Development"

Dates: 2-3 March 2011

Venue: Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), New Delhi, INDIA

Organised by Department of Economics, JMI in collaboration with Centre for WTO Studies, JMI

Theme of the ConferenceThe purpose of this conference is to shed further light on the broader linkages between trade, investment and growth, that is of particular importance for the economy in many developing countries, and where development concerns have frequently been raised. The conference is structured around following broad themes:

1. Changing Structure of Trade, FDI and Growth2. Impact of Trade and FDI on Growth and Development3. Emergence of Value Chains in International Trade and Business4. Welfare Implications of Changing Structure of Trade and Investment5. Gender Dimension of Changing Structure of Trade, Investment and Growth6. Role of Institutions and GovernanceHowever, the conference is open to all related areas of trade, investment and growth.

Call for Papers The International Conference aims at bringing together the researchers, academia, policy makers, civil society organizations, industry representatives and other scholars to an international forum for the dissemination of original research results, new ideas and practical experiences which concentrate on both theory and empirics.The conference will solicit both theoretical and empirical research papers associated with conference themes. Authors are advised to submit their paper electronically in MS Word format to Dr. Shahid Ahmed, Email: ecojmiciti@gmail.com and Copy to: Email: shahec@gmail.com and mabaig76@gmail.com. Papers will be blind refereed and revised version of accepted papers will be published.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

TISS-EPW Workshop on Exploratory Data Analysis Using R Software and Internet Resources for Development Research

Dates: 6-11 December 2010

Venue: Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India

Economic & Political Weekly and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences are jointly organising a week-long workshop on Exploratory Data Analysis for Development Research during the week 6 to 11 December 2010 at the TISS campus in Mumbai.This workshop is part of a University Grants Commission project to promote the social sciences in India.The objective of the workshop is to provide practical guidance to researchers on the basic techniques of data analysis, on how to use the open source statistical software, "R", for practising these techniques, and on how to utilise open resources available on the internet.The workshop is a short and intensive training programme meant for economic and social researchers on the use of exploratory data analysis (EDA) as a research tool for the analysis of quantitative data using R and internet resources.R is a powerful software that is specifically designed for data exploration and it is free (downloadable from the internet). It is being increasingly used by academicians as well as those in business/commerce.The resource persons will be experienced faculty from the National Institute of Public Finance, New Delhi, and the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.

Who May BenefitResearchers who need to make sense of quantitative data and those who work with primary survey data or published secondary data.

Who Can ApplyThe workshop will be open to teachers/researchers in universities and colleges under the age of 40 and any PhD scholar in a university/college working in the field of social sciences.

RequirementsParticipants should have done a course in basic/introductory statistics during their undergraduate/postgraduate degrees. They are expected to be familiar with elementary mathematics and with the basic statistical theory and applications as normally covered in a first level course in statistics for social scientists/economists. In addition, the participants must be conversant with at least a spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel and the use of standard browsers for internet use.There will be a maximum of 20 participants in the workshop

Organization of the WorkshopThe workshop will be six days of skill-intensive training. It will consist of short lectures, computer-based training in R, and, above all, extensive hands-on practice with data sets and internet resources. Lectures will aim to explain the basic philosophy, theory and techniques of EDA. The emphasis will be on underlying principles and applicability. The main aim is to acquaint participants with a new paradigm of data analysis through some of its most effective techniques. The computer training aims to familiarize participants with the use of R as well as use of the internet for research. Each computer session will begin with guided exercise, followed by a short assignment.

Travel and AccommodationTravel costs of participants selected for the course will be covered as per UGC-TISS regulations. Participants will also be provided boarding and lodging on TISS campus during the duration of the course.

Application ProcessPlease send completed application forms preferably by email to: epw.tiss[at]gmail.comLast Date for Submission of Forms: October 31Selection of Participants: November 10Postal Address: Saritha C.T, Assistant Professor, Room No.1, Director's Office, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai-88, (Phone: 022-25525193).(If sending application by post, please write "Application for TISS-EPW Workshop on Exploratory Data Analysis" on the envelope.)(Email and postal address are only for communication regarding the Workshop on Exploratory Data Analysis. Please do not send other correspondence to this address.)

Sunday, October 24, 2010

India is contributing good amount of knowledge contents to world literature but there is no tool for evaluation and measurement of its impact, quality and quantity. Accordingly, Indian researchers, scholars, policy makers, decision takers, funding agencies and others too have been facing a big problem to perform/assess the contribution/contributors objectively. At international level few tools/databases like WoS and SCOPUS are available but coverage of Indian knowledge contents in these databases are negligible. Therefore, these tools/databases are not adequate to evaluate/analyze India's knowledge contents.

As is known that to come over such limitation, few of the countries, like China, Korea, Japan etc. have already brought out their own citation indexes for proper evaluation and representation of their R&D contribution. With the same approach and bridge existing gap, I am happy to inform you that the "Indian Citation Index (ICI)" has come in existence for the benefit of R&D community including researchers, planers, decision makers, funding agencies etc. and it is ready/available for users w.e.f. 25th October 2010.

Indian Citation Index (ICI) is a home grown citation database, planned to have multidisciplinary information/knowledge contents from about 1000 top Indian scholarly journals. It provides powerful search engine to perform search and evaluate researchers, policy makers, decision makers, institutions, subjects, city, state etc. Presently, ICI have five years back files data depth of 400 plus journals which would go over to 1000 journals by March/April 2011. ICI is equipped with all major search features including analytics to serve the requirements of users. Also, by the end of December 2010, few more specific and elaborative search features will be in place to meet local needs more specifically.

Indian Citation Index (ICI) is developed by a society named "The Knowledge Foundation" which is fully supported by M/s Divan Enterprise. ICI as a product for sale, distribution, enter into agreements, receive revenue etc is exclusively owned by M/s Divan Enterprise. The ICI may be accessed by its URL: http://www.indiancitationindex.com/.

We are happy to announce that Indian Citation Index (ICI) is being launched on 25th October 2010 at New Delhi, India.

Monday, October 18, 2010

2010 Emerald/IAM Indian Management Research Fund Award----------------------------------------------------------------------Supporting knowledge creation and dissemination for the social good in India

Call for Indian management research proposals

This year, Emerald and the IAM – Indian Academy of Management – are delighted to offer a research grant for an Indian project in the field of management research. There will be one award of £2,000 (approximately US$3,000 equivalent) for the winning research project, and two awards of £500 each for highly-commended runners up, to fund or part-fund these projects.

Applications should address the creation and dissemination of knowledge for the social good with a specific orientation toward benefit for India.

EligibilityThe main member of the research team must be based in India.

Judging criteriaEach application will be judged, by a panel of experts, on the criteria below. The research must:

Be of significance, and in particular, illustrate how it will benefit the social good.

A summary stating specific goals, outcomes and benefits of the research. This should not exceed 2,000 words (note that tables, figures, appendices and reference lists, if provided do NOT count to the 2,000 word total).

A covering letter containing full contact details (affiliation, full address, telephone number/s and e-mail address) for all researchers involved in the project. Please state clearly which researcher will be the main point of contact.

The 2,000-word summary must:

Display clearly a statement of purpose and intent.

State clearly the methodology(ies) applied and explicitly describe the research process.

State expected research outcomes and expected impact and possible application.

Specify the expected timescales of the research process.

Outline projected costs and total research grant required.

Key dates

The closing date for applications is 1 February 2011.

Winners will be announced in April 2011.

Last year's winner

Last year Emerald was delighted to receive almost 50 research proposals of outstanding quality. The winning research proposal was "Understanding and addressing cataract-related eye care issues in rural Tamil Nadu" by Bharadhwaj Sivakumaran (Great Lakes Institute of Management), in conjunction with Arti D. Kalro (Indian Institute of Technology Madras) and Piyush Sharma (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University).

"My co-researchers and I thank Emerald for recognizing the potential in our work and giving us the award. It is indeed a great honour. In fact, it has always been a dream of mine to do management research with a strong social focus. However, it has been difficult to find funding for the same. It is indeed praiseworthy that Emerald is willing to fund such research and enable scholars like me to do research in this area. I hope that with the funding we get from Emerald, we can find something useful from our research that will not just advance the frontiers of knowledge, but do so in a way that will enhance societal welfare. Once again, thanks to Emerald."

In this 24th Summit we revisit the theme from the 4th Skoch Summit held in October 2010 at New Delhi.The 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12) document has a subtitle of inclusive growth. This lists out divides and disparities and these can be spatial (geographic) or collective-category (gender, caste, community, ethnicity, religion) based. Reforms that trigger growth must be inclusive in the sense of broad-basing growth and mainstreaming deprived and backward segments. While growth throws up market-based opportunities, there must be equal access to markets. The main items on this inclusive growth agenda are the following:

Education

Health

Infrastructure

Governance

Subsidies

Spatial deprivations

Financial Deepening

Public goods and Public expenditure

Land and natural resource markets

Special Session: A Billion Connected People - Making of a Digital Nation

Interested Stakeholders/industry representatives are invited to participate. The Consultation Paper on the subject is available on the TRAI Website www.trai.gov.in under the heading "Consultation Paper".

The consultation aims to discuss the global barcoding activities including all groups of plants and animals. The focus will be on networking of Indian barcoding community, develop new project proposals, exploring funding opportunities and develop linkages with national and international groups leading to preparing a blue print of comprehensive plan at regional and national level. We expect participation of over 200 delegates including experts from different sectors, policy makers, users of barcoding technology and representatives from funding agencies, Senior Officials from CBOL, USA Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding and University of Guelph.

Call for PapersYale-Great Lakes Center for Management Research aims to promote, facilitate and advance India-centric management-related research, which contributes to the development of basic and applied knowledge in the field of management. Papers are invited from academia and industry. Topic of the paper can be from any area of business and management.

Guidelines for Paper submission

Submitted papers must NOT have been previously presented, scheduled for presentation, published, accepted for publication, and if under review, must NOT appear in print before the conference.

The maximum length of the paper is 8000 words. The paper format should follow the style guide of Great Lakes Herald (http://www.greatlakes.edu.in/herald)

The entire paper should be in a single Microsoft Word document and should be sent as an attachment via email to yc@greatlakes.edu.in

Accommodation will be provided and AC train fare will be reimbursed to the authors of the selected papers.

Important Dates

Last date for paper submission: October 31, 2010

Acceptance/Rejection notification: November 20, 2010

Keynote Speakers

Keynote speakers include faculty from various business school across the world such as Kellogg, Stanford, Yale and IIM-Ahmedabad.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, due for launch in 2011, is in need of teaching cases from and about the key emerging markets.

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies is being developed in response to increasing demands from business educators and practitioners for quality-controlled teaching cases focusing on global emerging markets. The collection will offer unique and accurate insight into the local situation across the primary emerging markets within Asia, Africa, South America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

The collection is progressing well and we have seen some excellent submissions to date, but we still need your support to ensure the success of this new and exciting collection. Emerald is committed to publishing quality, peer reviewed cases written by case-writers based within the emerging economies, and we hope to become the publisher of choice for authors in those regions.

Emerald is therefore currently seeking teaching cases with an emerging market/s focus from all management disciplines, but Emerald has particular interest in the following areas:

Applications are invited for the Academic Writing and Publication Workshop for Research Students that will be held at Central University of Gujarat from November 16 to 20, 2010. The workshop will be held in collaboration with ICSSR –Western Regional Centre and will offer research students in colleges and universities an opportunity to learn and discuss the techniques of research writing and publication. The workshop will (i) help participants understand how to structure research papers effectively, (ii) enhance their ability to critique, edit and review their own work, and (iii) familiarize them with the academic publication process. The themes that will be covered would include:

Writing a proposal

Review of literature

Critiquing a manuscript- Different perspectives

Information search

Citation styles, using end notes and foot notes

Analyzing data – qualitative and quantitative

Preparing a manuscript for publication

Organizing the argument

Different styles of writing

Making abstracts, synopsis

Resource Persons:

This workshop will be conducted by resource persons eminent in the field of social sciences who have experience in writing, editing and publishing research papers. The workshop will be structured as an intensive mix of lectures and discussions. The focus will be on interactive participation.

Who Is Eligible?

Students who have registered for M.Phil/Ph.D. in any university in the field of social sciences and who are preferably at the writing stage of their dissertation/thesis.

Applicants must submit one draft research paper or research proposal of about 2500 words to 4000 words (including footnotes/endnotes and references) that they have written along with their applications. Applications without the draft paper will not be considered.

Travel and Accommodation:

Outstation participants will be paid travel by III AC by train from their place to Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar and back.

Registration Fee:

Please submit a demand draft of Rs.150/- as processing fee (non-refundable) in favour of "Central University of Gujarat", payable at Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, along with the application form. Selected candidates will have to pay an additional Rs. 500/- as registration fee after they are informed about their selection.

Important Dates:Last date for Receipt of Applications: 15 October 2010Date for informing applicants of selection: 1 November 2010.

Using a theoretically sound, interdisciplinary and hands-on approach, and organised in the form of blocs, this residential festival presents a unique opportunity for young social science scholars to come together to:

develop an understanding in epistemological concerns and philosophical foundations of social science research

acquire basic skills and understanding in designing and conducting research

gain exposure to specific qualitative and quantitative methods and applications

discuss and tackle, in a relaxed and supportive environment, issues of interpreting, articulating and publishing research findings

Who is the Festival for?

This Festival is of relevance for young scholars (doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and early career faculty) engaged in social science research in universities and research institutions in India and abroad. Preference will be given to those who have already had some exposure to research methods (through courses they may have taken at the master's level).

What Will the Festival Consist of?

The Festival will consist of three Blocs. Participants may opt for either Bloc I (4 credits) consisting of a general course on doing social science research (a two-week workshop is its mainstay) and preparing a research proposal, or Bloc II (2 credits) consisting of weeklong workshops running concurrently on specialized applications and methods in social science research (notably, Atlas.ti, statistics for social scientists, ethnography and participatory research methods), and/or Bloc III (4 credits) devoted to a course in scientific and research writing (involving a week-long workshop and follow up activities). As part of the festival, public lectures, field visits, film screenings and book exhibitions will also be organized on the theme of 'Exploring the Margins'. Participants may also join mentorship groups, which will help them in gaining clarity regarding their research aims and in accordingly planning their research trajectory.

Bloc I: Doing Social Science Research (11-24 December 2010)

Module 1: Thinking about Research Methods

Module 2: Methods, Instruments and Orthodoxy in the Social Sciences: Reading the Classics

Re-searching Contexts: 2-3 published qualitative and quantitative studies conducted in Delhi on the theme of 'Exploring the Margins' shall be identified. On one day of the week, day-long visits will be organized, taking the participants to re-search the field sites from these studies and to take note of the continuities and changes in the field sites.

Book Displays

Leading publishers and book distributors shall be invited to display books and journals on research methods in the social sciences at the Festival. Participants and resource persons may purchase/ place order for the books and journals at discount prices.

Mentorship Groups

The aim of these groups will be to facilitate the participants in their efforts to gain clarity regarding their research aims and to accordingly plan their research trajectory or put together research projects that they may wish to pursue.

Social Activities

AUD will host special luncheons on the first and the last days of the Festival. Film screenings shall be organized. A page of suggestions for things to do in Delhi before or after the Festival will also be uploaded on the website as the Festival dates approach.

Who Will be Resource Persons at the Festival?

A dynamic team of resource persons with teaching and research experience in the social sciences, and a keen understanding of research methods will be associated with the festival. A number of artists, writers, publishers will also be invited to make brief interventions. Below is a non-exhaustive list of the resource persons.

Applicants are requested to send their curriculum vitae, a brief research proposal and/or a clear statement of purpose of not more than 500 words, detailing the reasons for wanting to attend the festival and describing the research idea they wish to pursue.

They must clearly state which Bloc(s) they are interested in opting for. Those wishing to opt for Bloc 3 are required to submit along with other application materials a draft version of a full length research paper (approximately 7500 words). Papers that lend themselves to publication will be selected for submission as a special issue in a reputed peer-reviewed journal. Selection of participants will be made on the basis of the aforementioned application materials.

The course fee for a 4 credit course is Rs. 4000. The course fee for a 2 credit course is Rs. 2000. Boarding and lodging expenses are additional to this. A number of fee waivers and bursaries towards travel and boarding and lodging expenses are available. Those who want to be considered for these must mention this specifically in their applications.

Application materials should be clearly labeled 'Social Science Research Methods Festival' and sent by email to ambedkaruniversitydelhi[at]gmail.com. The last date for submission of application materials is 25 October 2010. For details regarding the festival schedule, boarding and lodging expenses and registration, please keep visiting this website for updates. For specific queries, please contact the Organising Committee at researchcentre.aud[at]gmail.com / asmita.kabra[at]gmail.com.